I live near the Lytton land in or near the town of Windsor, Sonoma County, California. I will be very negatively impacted if HR 597 moves land into trust for the Lytton.

I oppose HR597 for the following reasons:

Rep. Jeff Denham is not my representative. He does not represent my district. His district is 150 miles away. He has received +$80,000 in contributions from the Lytton.

This bill is a Carcieri-fix for the Lytton. They already have an open 2009 Bureau of Indian Affairs application. The Lytton were not a tribe in 1934, per Carcieri v. Salazar, the Department of the Interior lacks the authority to put their land into trust.

This bill would enable the Lytton to flout local zoning. The housing listed on this bill is non-compliant. Their documented plans for large commercial development (200 room hotel, 200,000 case a year winery) are not even mentioned in the bill.

The 2016 Congressional Report 114-633 for H.R. 2538 states that “the Natural Resources Committee has received a relatively large number of communications from the residents of Windsor, California in opposition to the bill.” I still oppose HR 2538 and HR597.

A poll conducted by Probolsky Research from Newport Beach CA regarding Windsor residents’ opinion on Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017 was recently completed. Here is a link to the Complete Document.

Aug 19, 2016 — Windsor Voters- We have great new candidates running for town council, Rosa Reynoza and Mike Wall. We ask, have Deb Fudge and Bruce Okrepkie been representing you? They are both running for re-election and they comprise the current Lytton sub-committee. Is it time for some fresh perspectives? Mike and Rosa support our stance on the land going into trust and Bill HR 2538. Here’s your… Read more

Our Windsor City Council are not representing our community in that they are making decisions without our input. They have had 15 closed door meetings with the Lytton’s in order to make a deal with them regarding our community, all without a discussion with the citizens. We elected them. We are their constituents. They work for us.

Here is an excerpt from a new book by Don Mitchell titlted entitled “Wampum: How Indian Tribes, the Mafia, and an Inattentive Congress Invented Indian Gaming and Created a $28 Billion Gambling Empire.” The section about the Lyttons that is in this excerpt is called “Fake Reservations.”

A couple of things jump out from these excerpts. One is that that “The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians…appears to have been invented in order to open a bingo hall.”. Another is section points out that in 1990, the Lytton’s had 20 members. Yet in 2005, they claimed to have 275.

Can It Be Stopped?

Myth: Having a sovereign nation in Windsor is inevitable. There is nothing anyone can do about it.

Truth: The Lyttons are prohibited from taking Windsor land into full sovereign nation trust for three reasons:1) A Supreme Court decision (Calcieri v. Salazar) prohibiting the Department of the Interior from taking land into trust for tribes formed after 1934 (the Lyttons settled in Alexander Valley in 1937);2) A stipulation attached to their tribal status in 1991 stating that they could not violate the Sonoma County General Plan;3) The fact that they already have a 9.5-acre reservation in San Pablo, and their homeland, according to the Attorney General Kamala Harris, should now be considered Contra Costa County.

Quick Facts

The Lytton already own 71 acres in Windsor on which they could build the homes they desire, within our zoning laws

The Lytton already own Federal Trust land in San Pablo, 10 acres where they operate a successful and lucrative Casino

Country Costa is considered by the State of California to be the Lytton Pomo tribal home. (Kamala Harris memo, 7-18-2011)

Photos

Here is just a small portion of the beautiful land, trees and views we are fighting to keep.